Age at illness onset and physical activity are associated with cognitive impairment in patients with current diagnosis of major depressive disorder

January 21, 2021

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Age at illness onset and physical activity are associated with cognitive impairment in patients with current diagnosis of major depressive disorder

Publicated to:JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS. 279 343-352 - 2021-01-15 279(), DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2020.10.032

Authors: Sanchez-Carro, Yolanda; Portella, Maria J; Leal-Leturia, Itziar; Salvat-Pujol, Neus; Etxandi, Mikel; de Arriba-Arnau, Aida; Urretavizcaya, Mikel; Pousa, Esther; Toll, Alba; Alvarez, Pilar; Soria, Virginia; Lopez-Garcia, Pilar

Affiliations

Bellvitge Univ Hosp, Psychiat Dept Bellvitge Biomed Res Inst IDIBELL, Neurosci Grp, Psychiat & Mental Hlth, Barcelona, Spain - Author

Carlos III Hlth Inst, Ctr Invest Biomed Red Salud Mental CIBERSAM, Madrid, Spain - Author

Centro de Investigacion Biomedica en Red de Salud Mental - Author

Hosp del Mar, IMIM, Inst Neuropsychiat & Addict, Barcelona, Spain - Author

Hosp Santa Creu & Sant Pau, Serv Psiquiatria, Barcelona, Spain - Author

Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau - Author

Hospital del Mar - Author

Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge - Author

Inst Invest Sanitaria Princesa IIS Princesa, Dept Psychiat, La Princesa, Spain - Author

Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Princesa (IIS Princesa) - Author

Univ Autonoma Barcelona UAB, Biomed Res Inst St Pau IIB St Pau, Catalonia, Spain - Author

Univ Autonoma Madrid, Dept Psychiat, Madrid, Spain - Author

Univ Barcelona, Sch Med, Dept Clin Sci, Barcelona, Spain - Author

Universidad Autónoma de Madrid - Author

Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona - Author

Universitat de Barcelona - Author

Abstract

© 2020 Background. Cognitive impairment has been reported in patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). This study aims to explore the association between lifestyle habits and health-related factors and the presence of cognitive symptoms in MDD patients. Methods. Demographic, clinical, health-related variables and cognitive scores measured with the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) were compared between 74 patients with current MDD and 68 healthy controls (HC). To test the hypothesis of associated factors to cognitive symptoms, multivariate backward stepwise linear regression models were run. Results. Significant neuropsychological deficits were evident in MDD compared with HC in the global cognitive index (F=8.29; df=1, 140; p=0.005). In the regression analysis performed on MDD and HC, years of schooling (β=˗0.11; p=<0.001), job status (β=˗0.50; p=0.016), physical activity (β=˗0.25; p=0.04) and age at illness onset (β=0.17; p=0.017) were statistically significant factors associated to cognitive impairment. The regression model ran in HC showed that only years of schooling were significant (β=-0.07; p=<0.001) in this group. Limitations. Sample size was relatively small. Everyday cognitive skills were not evaluated. Conclusions. MDD patients have cognitive deficits. These deficits are linked with the years of education, job status, age of onset of the disease and the performance of physical activity. These results support the importance of the implementation of interventions targeting the cognitive reserve and lifestyle habits of MDD patients, in addition to the conventional therapeutic approach focused on symptoms control.

Keywords

age of onsetcognitive impairmentcortical plasticityexecutive functionexercisehealth-related variablesmajor depressive disordermental-illnessmetaanalysismetabolic syndromeneuropsychological functionolder-adultsphysical activitysmokingyears of schoolingAge of onsetCognitive impairmentHealth-related variablesLate-life depressionMajor depressive disorderPhysical activityYears of schooling

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Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel

The work has been published in the journal JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS due to its progression and the good impact it has achieved in recent years, according to the agency WoS (JCR), it has become a reference in its field. In the year of publication of the work, 2021, it was in position 29/212, thus managing to position itself as a Q1 (Primer Cuartil), in the category Clinical Neurology.

From a relative perspective, and based on the normalized impact indicator calculated from World Citations provided by WoS (ESI, Clarivate), it yields a value for the citation normalization relative to the expected citation rate of: 1.92. This indicates that, compared to works in the same discipline and in the same year of publication, it ranks as a work cited above average. (source consulted: ESI Nov 14, 2024)

This information is reinforced by other indicators of the same type, which, although dynamic over time and dependent on the set of average global citations at the time of their calculation, consistently position the work at some point among the top 50% most cited in its field:

Weighted Average of Normalized Impact by the Scopus agency: 1.95 (source consulted: FECYT Feb 2024)
Field Citation Ratio (FCR) from Dimensions: 4.11 (source consulted: Dimensions Jul 2025)

Specifically, and according to different indexing agencies, this work has accumulated citations as of 2025-07-04, the following number of citations:

WoS: 14
Scopus: 15

Impact and social visibility

Leadership analysis of institutional authors

There is a significant leadership presence as some of the institution’s authors appear as the first or last signer, detailed as follows: First Author (Carro YS) and Last Author (LOPEZ GARCIA, MARIA PILAR).

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Age at illness onset and physical activity are associated with cognitive impairment in patients with current diagnosis of major depressive disorder

Affiliations

Abstract

Keywords

Quality index

Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel

Impact and social visibility

Leadership analysis of institutional authors